


I'll Carry Your World

by doctornineandthreequarters



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Feelings Realization, First Kiss, Getting Together, Idiots in Love, M/M, Protective Eddie Diaz
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-26
Updated: 2020-05-26
Packaged: 2021-03-03 04:07:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,816
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24388666
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/doctornineandthreequarters/pseuds/doctornineandthreequarters
Summary: So, it was a normal, kind of boring day. Calls were easy, Bobby hadn’t tried any new recipes, and they had all caught up about their weekend.And then a woman walked in.---Or, when a woman comes in looking for Buck, Eddie's entire world is rocked.
Relationships: Christopher Diaz & Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV) & Bobby Nash, Evan "Buck" Buckley & Christopher Diaz (9-1-1 TV), Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 41
Kudos: 1040





	I'll Carry Your World

It was just a normal day at the station. Bobby was discussing an earlier call with one of the other firefighters, Hen and Chimney were restocking the ambulance, Eddie was fixing one of the hoses, and Buck was off that day. It seemed every so often that one of them didn’t end up on shift with the others. And it seemed that Buck had drawn that short straw. It was always weird not having Buck there. Eddie tried to think about how it reminded him of all that time when Buck couldn’t work because of his injury. But all of that was almost a year ago. Buck was fine. He just wasn’t on their shift. 

So, it was a normal, kind of boring day. Calls were easy, Bobby hadn’t tried any new recipes, and they had all caught up about their weekend. 

And then a woman walked in. 

She had an uncertain look on her face as she looked around. When she noticed Eddie, she attempted a polite smile. 

“Sorry to bother you,” She started. “I’m uh, I’m looking for someone.” Eddie frowned at that. The woman didn’t look hurt or like she or anyone else was in trouble.

“Someone you think will be here?” He asked and she nodded. 

“I think he’s a firefighter, but I’m not really sure.” At this point, Bobby, Hen, and Chimney, had come over, noticing the woman. “I just kind of figured he was and I started asking around and they said the person I was describing probably worked here.” Eddie noticed Chimney glance at Hen, who was giving the woman a suspicious look.

“Ma’am, we’re not really in the business of connecting missed connections,” Bobby said and the woman flushed in embarrassment.

“That’s not why I’m here,” She explained. “He saved me. He saved a lot of people actually. During the tsunami last year. And he just seemed to be so sure of what he was doing, I figured he had to be some type of first responder. So I started looking for him.”

“Why’d you get sent here?” Hen asked, still regarding the woman suspiciously.

“He had this mark over his eye,” She explained. “That didn’t look like a cut or an injury. I figured that was probably a noticeable trait on a firefighter.”

“You said he saved you,” Bobby said. She nodded. 

“He used one of the hoses from the fire truck to pull a bunch of people up,” She said. “Every time someone needed help, he kept pulling people up. I just...I just wanted to thank him.” Everyone smiled a little at that. 

“The firefighter you’re looking for is named Buck,” Bobby said. “But he’s not working today. He’ll be in tomorrow.” She nodded and smiled. 

“Thanks,” She said. “I just...I wanted to thank him.”

“He’ll appreciate that,” Chimney said. “Thanks for stopping by.” Everyone started to disperse, but she spoke up again.

“Can I ask you one more thing?” Her voice was more hesitant than before, like she was scared to ask. “There was a boy with him.” Eddie bit the inside of his cheek, trying to keep his face even. It had been a year since the tsunami, but it still terrified him to think about what could’ve happened to Christoper, what he could’ve seen that day that would haunt his nightmares for months. “I thought at first it was just someone else he had helped, but the way he talked to him...he’s a sweet kid too. The firefighter, Buck, he kept distracting him, turning him away if any bodies were...well you know.” Eddie could feel everyone’s eyes on him, waiting to see how he would react. She was talking about his son after all.

“Anyways,” The woman continued, not picking up on the tension. “When the water started receding, it rocked the truck so badly the boy fell in. Buck went after him and I didn’t see them again.” Eddie felt everything in him go cold. That wasn’t what Buck had told him. Buck had told him something different, had made it out like...Eddie tried to shake the thoughts away and focus on the woman in front of him. “Anyways, I just, I guess by finding Buck I was also hoping to find out if that little boy was okay.”

“He is,” Eddie managed to get out. “They’re both okay.” She nodded, a relieved sigh bubbling up. 

“Buck will be in tomorrow,” Bobby said again. “Thanks for stopping by.” She nodded and left the firehouse. As soon as she was gone, Eddie’s eyes shut. He could feel himself being pulled back to that night, seeing Buck standing there, wearing Christopher’s glasses, and looking like the world had shattered around him. 

“Eddie?” It was Bobby’s voice that dragged him back to reality. 

“I’m fine,” Eddie managed to get out, before walking away. He couldn’t think about any of that right now. He needed to get through work, to get through the rest of the day. 

And then he needed to talk to Buck.

* * *

Buck was standing in his kitchen cooking. Days off were meant for sleeping in, longer workouts, and trying recipes Bobby sent him. Today was a veggie lasagna and Buck had to admit it smelled pretty good. Slicing all the vegetables had taken longer than he expected, but he was still learning. 

He was broken out of his thoughts but a loud knocking at his door. He furrowed his brows in confusion, wondering who could be there. With a shrug, he went to the door and pulled it open. 

“You lied to me.” He had to step back to avoid Eddie smacking right into him as he stormed into his apartment. Buck closed the door, a confused look on his face. 

“Eddie what are-” Buck started but Eddie cut him off. 

“You lied to me,” Eddie repeated. “After the tsunami, you lied to me.” Buck visibly paled at the mention of the tsunami.

“I don’t understand,” Buck said, a knot in his stomach forming every time he thought about that awful day. “What are you talking about?”

“You said you looked away from Christopher for one minute and he was gone,” Eddie said, an anger in his eyes Buck didn’t recognize. “Like it was somehow your fault for not watching him and protecting him.”

“Because I should have-” But Eddie cut him off, holding up his hand. 

“And then this woman shows up at the firehouse today,” Eddie continued. “Talking about a firefighter who saved her life and other people’s lives because he kept reaching out to help anyone in distress.” Buck looked startled at that fact. “And then she mentions a boy. A little boy who was with the firefighter, who the firefighter protected and even turned him away from the water to not see any dead bodies floating by.”

“How’d she know I was a firefighter?” Buck asked, not sure how to process the information. 

“Does it really matter?” Eddie asked, an intensity in his eyes. “Because do you know what she told me next? She told me that when the water came rushing back, the boy fell off the truck. Not because someone wasn’t watching him, but because it was a god damn natural disaster and they’re unpredictable.” Buck swallowed, a lump forming in his throat. 

“Eddie I-” Buck could barely talk, feeling tears well up in his eyes. He hated thinking about that day. Why was Eddie bringing this up? And why was he so mad?

“How dare you stand in front of me then and try to convince me that what happened to Christopher was your fault.” Buck was stunned by that. “How dare you act like you lost him when nothing that happened that day was your fault!”

“I should’ve been protecting him!” Buck shouted. “I should’ve been focused on him and not the others.” Eddie huffed in frustration, throwing his hands in the air. 

“Why do you always act like the world is on your shoulders?” Eddie asked. “Why can’t you for once admit that you are not to blame for everything?”

“But I am to blame for this!” Buck countered. “I was being selfish, trying to prove I could still help and save people instead protecting the one person that day that mattered. I know I can be exhausting but-” Eddie stopped him, feeling like he had been punched in the gut. He stepped closer to Buck, grabbing his face with his hands

“You are not selfish and you are not exhausting.” Brown eyes linked with the pair of blue ones, intensity meeting uncertainty and doubt. “You are the most selfless and caring person I know. You protected my son as if he were your own and I…” Eddie trailed off, feeling like he could feel his heart beating in his ears. Buck was always looking out for Christopher, always trying to make him smile. Hell, he’d built the boy an adaptive skateboard. And he did it all without asking for anything in return. He did it all just out of the goodness in his heart. And that realization awakened something in Eddie. Something he hadn’t felt in a long time. 

Buck stared back at Eddie, his vision slightly obscured by tears. He had spent so long beating himself up about what had happened during the tsunami, about losing Christopher. But here Eddie was, yelling at him, not because he blamed Buck, but because he wanted Buck to stop blaming himself. Because he wanted Buck to stop holding the world up on his own.

“Eddie,” Buck tried to say, but he was cut off. Eddie’s lips crashed into his, capturing them in a kiss that made his brain explode. His arms instinctively wrapped around Eddie, pulling the brunette closer to him. Their mouths moved against each other, desperate and sloppy, unspoken words attempting to be expressed. Buck felt dizzy with joy, never thinking this moment would happen, believing he wasn’t worthy of it. 

Eddie’s hands moved, one caressing Buck’s jaw, the other, around the back of Buck’s head. He didn’t want this moment to end, didn’t want the spell to be broken. He needed Buck, needed him like the air he breathed. He needed Buck to be his for as long as Buck would have him. 

Eventually, they pulled away, breathless and with swollen lips. Eddie let his forehead fall against Buck’s forehead, his fingers tracing the collar of his shirt. 

“Even Atlas needed a break,” Eddie said, looking into Buck’s blue eyes. God, he could get lost in those eyes forever. “Let me help. I’ll carry your world for a little while.”

“Just a little while?” Buck asked, a smile crossing his face. 

“Well, I was going to say forever, but that felt presumptuous.” Buck laughed, gently kissing Eddie again. Eddie smiled into the kiss, grateful for the man before him and for what their future would hold. 

**Author's Note:**

> I am aware that's not how the myth worked, but just give me this one. 
> 
> [Scream with me on my tumblr?](http://doctornineandthreequarters.tumblr.com)


End file.
